Vegetable Soup

Homemade Vegetable Soup is healthy, hearty, and so easy to make in about 30 minutes. This soup is loaded with a lot of fresh vegetables and white beans making it a perfect soup any time of the year. It’s easy to change the vegetables used according to season and availability.

VEGETABLE SOUP

Vegetable soup is just as simple as advertised, it’s a delicious hearty soup that’s packed with different vegetables. The soup takes about as long to cook as the vegetables that are in it. Most of the work goes into cutting the vegetables and after that, it’s just adding them to the pot.

It might be hard to believe, but this is my toddler’s favorite soup. I was in a complete and total shock when she agreed to even try it but after she took that first bite, she was really into it. She agreed to taste it because of the peas, after that, it’s like treasure hunting during lunch time. She’d pick a vegetable and taste it, pick a vegetable and taste it.

Even my husband, who is not a vegetable fan or a soup fan, has a few bowls of this tasty vegetable soup every time. He says it smells too good not to eat it. It’s a great way for me to get them to eat something healthy and this soup is nothing but healthy.

Why do I add white beans to vegetables soup? I like to add beans instead of potatoes because it adds heartiness to the soup and provide protein and fiber that potatoes can’t provide.

WHAT KIND OF VEGGIES TO USE

I like to include a combination of hearty vegetables and whose that will add a little sweetness. Start with the basic onions, carrots, and garlic. After that, you can gather your favorites like –

celery

green beans

peas

cauliflower and/or broccoli

tomatoes

potatoes

Summer squash, zucchini, and peas add a nice touch of sweetness to each bite.

Corn is another vegetable to add heartiness and sweetness at the same time. For healthier soup, leave potatoes out and add some beans.

MAKING VEGETABLE SOUP IN A CROCK POT

You can easily make vegetable soup in a slow cooker instead of stove top. There will be a little taste different because the veggies will all cook at the same time and there is no searing of onions, carrots, and garlic. Difference in taste won’t be dramatic though.

Cut vegetable into small chunks and combine them in a slow cooker.

Add can of tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, and beans (juices drained). Stir well until everything, including tomatoes paste, is evenly incorporated.

Add herbs and seasoning and stir well.

Cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-6 hours. If you like your veggies softer, cook for longer period of time and if you like them less soft, aim for lesser time. You can check seasoning amount and how soft the veggies are every hour.

HOW TO STORE VEGETABLE SOUP

Vegetable soup can be stored right in the pot it’s cooked in, in the refrigerator. Make sure there is a tight fitting lid on the pot and that the soup and the pot is cool enough to be put in the refrigerator.

You can also transfer soup into a large food storage container with a tight fitting lid and store it in the refrigerator.

Vegetable soup should last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days when stored property. Make sure the lid is air-tight. Use a clean ladle each time you take soup out of the container and don’t leave any spoons in it.

HOW TO FREEZE VEGETABLE SOUP

When freezing any soup, it’s important to cool cooked soup as quickly as possible before freezing. Place the pot with vegetable soup into a larger container filled with ice and let it cool, stirring occasionally.

Once soup is cooled to room temperature, portion it into freezer zip-lock bags. Get the air out and seal. Label and date each bag and lay them flat on a cutting board. Place it in the freezer.

It’s easier to freeze soup in freezer bags because when soup is frozen flat, it can be stacked easily one on top of the other. This saves a lot of room in the freezer.